Amped 2 Is Coming!

Microsoft will announce the sequel to 2001's hit snowboarding game this weekend at the Vans North American Championships, a prominent snowboarding competition. Of course, we've got the goods first.

A media blitz is already in the works, even though the game won't be out until near the end of the year. Attendees at the Vans Championships can expect to see billboards, hear radio spots, and possibly win prizes related to the upcoming title.

Here's what we know about the game so far.

Amped 2 will be Xbox Live enabled. While it's still a little unclear as to whether or not head to head play will be available, a bunch of other online features have been announced. Players will be able to post scores, download new mountains and gear, and even swap replay files with each other.

The previous game's trick system, which could be a bit frustrating, has been reworked with something called a "butter" system. What this is, we're not sure.

While we don't know the exact number of mountains the game will feature, Laax in Switzerland and Mt. Buller in Australia have been confirmed, with more presumably on the way.

The career mode, which was fairly long and deep in the previous game, is being expanded considerably, with more new ways to impress the press and a brand new create-a-boarder feature.

That's pretty much all we know at this point. We'll keep you updated as more information surfaces.